A Florida deputy sheriff has been suspended for three days and put on six months probation after referring to a female colleague as 'Captain Boobs'.

Lee County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Patricella admitted to calling a female deputy by the derogatory moniker in front of trainee they were both instructing, according to an internal report made public on Monday (1 May).

The woman said she was left in complete shock and felt humiliated – she could feel her face burning up and turning red, according to Fox News.

Patricella is also alleged to have immediately followed-up with a taunt about her relationship with a captain from the department, asking her: "why a deputy, sergeant, or lieutenant are not good enough to date, and why she jumped straight to the rank of captain."

Patricella admitted to calling the woman 'Captain Boobs' but said he had not intended to hurt or offend her. He accepted the findings of the Lee County Sheriff's Office and vowed to reign in his comments in future.

Separate investigations by the Florida department into a sergeant and three other deputies have also recently been completed leading to four dismissals, according to news-press.com.

The employees were fired in relation to an incident involving an inmate handcuffed to a hospital bed and the falsifying of documents.